O'Reilly Won't Rule Out Kerry Vote

Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly has not ruled out voting for John Kerry, also saying hthat e is pro-gun control, anti-death penalty and for civil unions and gay adoption (as a last alternative to state custody).

That's according to an interview with Mike Wallace for the Sept. 26 edition, at least according to a release from 60 Minutes. The release reads: "Long a favorite of conservatives, O'Reilly's stances on big issues came as a surprise to Wallace, as did his answer to whether he would vote for George W. Bush. When asked if he would vote for President Bush, O'Reilly left open the possibility he would vote for John Kerry, saying 'I've known Kerry for 25 years. He's a patriot. I'm listening to what he has to say.' "

The 60 Minutes broadcast comes the night before O'Reilly's show, The O'Reilly Factor, begins its three-part interview with Bush. O'Reilly interviewed the President this week, but told viewers he was holding off on airing it to drum up more interest and viewership.

O'Reilly also tells Wallace that the longtime CBS newsman's take-no-prisoners interview style was the model for his own tough talk, but O'Reilly also credits Tom Snyder and Howard Cosell as influences.

But O'Reilly has also said that style went "right out the window," when interviewing the President. "I am known for confrontational interviews, but you simply cannot tell a sitting President that you, the interviewer, know more than he does. That would make you look like a moron," he wrote on his Web site.

A Fox spokesman confirmed that O'Reilly was doing the 60 Minutes show, but had not seen the tape and so could not comment on the substance.

If O'Reilly is seriously considering a Kerry ballot, rather than simply exercising is right not to reveal his voting preference, it would put him in political step with one of his big bosses, News Corp. President Peter Chernin. Chernin has helped raise funds for Kerry and joined a group of business leaders in endorsing the Democrat last August, saying he would "do a good job moving our economy forward."